Higher qualifications in contact lens practice

This qualification in contact lens practice enables you to select and fit more complex contact lenses for refractive management, ocular surface abnormalities and disease.

Professional Higher Certificate in Contact Lens Practice (Higher Cert CL)

This qualification is ideal for those looking to boost their knowledge, skills and confidence in advising and managing patients who wear contact lenses to control myopia and correct presbyopia and regular and irregular astigmatism, such as early keratoconus.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes - Professional Higher Certificate in Contact Lens Practice (PDF)

Providers

At present no higher education provider is accredited to offer this course

Professional Diploma in Contact Lens Practice (Dip CL)

This qualification builds on knowledge and skills gained from the Professional Higher Certificate in Contact Lens Practice. Practitioners in community or hospital settings will be able to provide enhanced contact lens care for patients with more complex refractive and clinical needs, including assessing, fitting and managing specialist designs, including hybrids, mini-sclerals and sclerals, and treating young children. 

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes - Diploma in Contact Lens Practice (PDF)

Providers

At present no higher education provider is accredited to offer this course.

Key

KFS – key feature scenarios
MCQ - multiple choice questions 
OSCE - objective structured clinical examination
PMCS  - patient management case scenario
SAQ – short answer questions
VRICS -  visual recognition and interpretation of clinical signs 

Become a higher qualifications course provider

When you have successfully completed your qualification, your course provider will ratify the results (this can take some months) before sending them to the College. Those who complete a College-accredited higher qualifications course may only use the associated affix in the context of activity undertaken as a registered healthcare professional, and in the country in which the practitioner is registered. On receiving results, the College will update its records and advise the GOC so GOC staff can update its register. 

Certificates are issued free of charge only for full UK College members. 

If you complete a higher qualifications course while still a student registrant you may not use the associated affix until you have full (01-) GOC registration. You will not receive a certificate until you join the College as a newly qualified practising optometrist (qualifying in the UK) or a full UK member with full (01-) GOC registration. You will have until the next (first) OSCE date following your own OSCE sitting to join the College or you will not receive a certificate. The dates of all upcoming OSCE dates are on our website.

The College produces and prints certificates at regular intervals in the year. This means it may be some months before you receive a certificate, as the College must first receive the result and then include it in the next applicable print run. 

The College will invite full UK College members who complete a higher qualification at Higher Certificate or Diploma level to the College’s prestigious annual Diploma Ceremony to have their achievement officially recognised. The College will contact these course completers separately. 

The College will replace lost or damaged certificates for a fee of £30 to those who completed the course at a time when they were a full UK College member. Use the contact form to let us know if you require a replacement certificate.